Aaron Gordon has been a revelation this year and is pegged as the next big Orlando Magic star. But he still has a long way to go to get there.
Aaron Gordon’s attention was fully on his matchup throughout the early parts of Wednesday’s game. This trip to play the Milwaukee Bucks was a chance to prove himself some.
Gordon is a rangy, athletic power forward wanting to one day reach superstardom. Doing that against someone similar to him, at least in some small way, in Giannis Antetokounmpo was his way to measure up some. A high profile matchup to show exactly where he stood and what his future would hold.
Gordon has spent much of the 2018 season announcing himself to the world. His 19.2 points per game and surprisingly efficient 3-point shooting turned him from interesting young talent to potential superstar. The Orlando Magic seem willing to pay him like one this summer.
Orlando has struggled to define how to build a superstar for several years. It has seemingly been the obsession to get there. That is what high draft picks are supposed to do. And so going through players like Victor Oladipo and seeing him fall short (for lack of patience or whatever) is very much part of the reason why the Magic seem lost in the woods.
Developing and turning into a superstar — with the night-in, night-out grind that it takes to produce and, at times takeover — is a learning process.
Antetokounmpo gave Gordon an important lesson of that on both ends throughout Wednesday’s game. Gordon still has a long way to go to be the star the Magic will one day need.
Gordon’s initial engagement and clear excitement for the matchup created early results. He scored 10 first-quarter points on 4-for-7 shooting. He got Antetokounmpo in foul trouble and attacked the basket with aggression. The Magic were able to get out in transition and Gordon cut aggressively along the baseline.
But for real stars, there is no stopping them. Despite Gordon’s best efforts, Antetokounmpo was able to score. And after some adjustments at halftime, he took over and shut Gordon down for good measure.
Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 26 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the third quarter. He abused Gordon in the post and got his shots. A look at Antetokounmpo’s shot chart reveals exactly what a superstar does. He got to the basket time and time again. He never settled for jumpers. And he got to the foul line to make 6 of 10 free throws.
It was a ho-hum game for Antetokunmpo.
Gordon? Gordon scored just one point after the first quarter, missing his final 11 shots.
What seemed so smooth for Antetokounmpo driving to the basket and creating shots for himself around the basket was a much bigger struggle for Gordon.
He struggled to break free from Antetokounmpo’s length. He forced jumpers, taking the majority of his shots outside the paint. Gordon missed all five of his 3-pointers, and it would be hard to say any of them were on balance or in rhythm.
Gordon might have been trying to play the star and do what a star does, but he did it ineffectively. Take this as a lesson for the young player as he grows.
If the Magic’s record were not already an indication of this, Gordon still has a lot of growth to go through. In each of his big scoring opponents, coach Frank Vogel lauded Aaron Gordon for playing within himself and in the flow of the offense. It seemed like Gordon was getting his shots naturally and scoring easily.
Things are easy when they are easy.
Things were not easy Wednesday night. And that is when Gordon gets himself into trouble. A bad habit he and several other Magic players seem to have when the team is out of rhythm. It felt like Orlando was trying to force play and Gordon was the main culprit.
Gordon is clearly not at the All-Star or superstar level yet. He is having his first big scoring year — a career year — and is showing that he might one day reach it. But superstars find a way to do it every night.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were struggling through much of the first half. Antetokounmpo was not even on the court for much of the first half. But with the game in the balance, Milwaukee turned to Antetokounmpo and knew he would deliver.
Even on his bad nights or when things are not going well, he found a way to spark his team on both ends.
This is the lesson Gordon needs to learn. The next stage in his development is learning how to impact the game in a positive way on both ends every night. Consistency is the star’s calling card.
This was a lesson Antetokounmpo had to learn as he burst onto the scene. This is a lesson every star player has to learn. These growing pains with Gordon are natural.
But it is clear Gordon is still going through those growing pains. And in that search for a star, Orlando will have to be a little more patient.
Next: Grades: Milwaukee Bucks 110, Orlando Magic 103
And that is difficult with this team and all of its struggles.